The feeling at Occupy Portland when dawn broke was one of victory: The protesters held the park! Almost no injuries and only one arrest!
As the crowd diminished—headed to bed, to breakfast—the patiently waiting police force moved in and began dismantling the remaining tents and structures in the camp. At 9:35am, the police tweeted: “Informing people that parks are closed & helping remove debris. Not forcibly removing people or property. Peaceful!”
Mayor Sam Adams spelled out this morning that the city’s plan is to clear the camps out, then erect fences to keep out protesters. “Machinery moves trash, parks workers talk about how to spot and avoid used sharps in the mud,” reports News Editor Denis Theriault from the scene.
The remaining protesters are split between helping the police clean up and shouting at them. Overheard: “Why don’t you go fuck with big yuppie houses?!”
As word gets around that the camp is being dismantled, protesters are sending out the call to head back downtown ASAP. A mass text goes out to the Occupy list from code name “Mycelium”: “More cops than campers send trucks.” A general assembly is set for noon at Terry Schrunk plaza. Follow Denis for constant updates!
There’ll be fences up by morning, by then they’ll only need enough police to head off attempts to take down the fences. Wonder if they’ll fence off Schrunk too?
The occupiers will just set up camp somewhere else. Waterfront Park seems the most likely location, although I’d rather see them in Pioneer Square for the Christmas shopping season.
I guess Portland’s brunch offerings were too irresistible for the Lord of the Flies campers?
@Sugartit, this morning I talked to a co-worker who had just come back from the Occupation. He had to leave the parks because he had to be at work at 9:00.
Wow, it was pretty hard to outsmart the campers.
@4 UNless your co-worker is a one-man army, I fail to see your point.
Listen, until someone pours gas over their heads and sets themselves on fire, I’m not convinced Occupy Lord of the Flies is little more than teenage angst writ large (OD’ing, btw, doesn’t count as commitment to the cause).
Occupy Portland was brought down by the Grand Slam….f*cking breakfast.
Hope their proud of the victory of trashing the parks and costing us hundreds of thousands.
Well played.
D: their ≠ they’re
Sugartit: my point is that the reality of the people involved with the Occupy movement doesn’t conform to your caricature of them. Repeating that the Occupiers left to go to breakfast doesn’t make it any more true.
Where did they go then? Potty break? Wake and bake bong hits by the river? Magical mystery tour?
Just got back from down there – crazy ass shit going on.
Spoke with Nick Fish for a bit. Nice guy. Engaging.
Found out an old HS friend that used to produce ch. 6 news left for ch. 2 news.
I think our cops are doing one hell of a job.
While down there, some street kid came by and told my wife and I (with our 2 little dogs) to watch out because the cops pointed their weapon at his dog and threatened to shoot the dog if he didn’t get out of the street.
Yeah, right
I saw a rooster down there – a rooster!
Middle of the street. Pics of it with riot-clad cops in the background.
@11
Never get between a crustie and his dog.